1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of cabling systems, More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for optimal management and control of interconnecting panels that are part of large scale cabling systems.
2. Prior Art
The term ‘managing’ (i.e., in connection with ‘management of cabling systems’, or ‘communication panels’, or ‘patch panel’) encompasses operations such as obtaining, and/or monitoring the connectivity status, or map, of a cabling system, and using the obtained data for guiding an operator through desirable cabling changes and indicating to the operator erroneous and unauthorized connections and disconnections of patch cords.
The term ‘Patch Panels’ refers to panels that include data and/or video/voice ports (hereinafter, briefly, “ports”), to which multiconductor cables (hereinafter referred to as ‘Patch Cords’) may be connected, for connecting between any two ports.
‘Connectivity Status’, or ‘Connectivity Map’, is an ensemble of data that indicates which patch cord's end is connected to which port in which patch panel. The connectivity status/map is normally contained within a storage array, for example, in a database.
‘Connectivity status indicator’ is an indicator, usually a light source that is located in proximity to a port. This indicator will be activated by a central management unit in order to mark to, e.g., a technician the port in cases where that port is involved in wanted, or unwanted, connectivity changes.
The term ‘Scanning System’ refers to a system for associating a first set of ends of patch cords to a corresponding second set of ends of patch cords. This could be obtained for example by transmitting Scanning Signals via the first set of ends of patch cords, and receiving the forwarded Scanning Signals via the second set of corresponding ends of patch cords. The scanning system may contain a database, the content of which is a data representing the connectivity status, or connectivity map, of the scanned cabling system, and updated according to the transmission of the Scanning Signals. A scanning system is described, for example, in U.S. 60/251,444 (“System for automatically identifying the physical location of network end devices”), in co pending Israeli Patent application No. IL 152768 (“Retrofit kit for interconnect cabling system”), and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,467 (“Patching panel scanner”).
Big organizations usually have large information systems that are supported by large scale cabling systems. A cabling system normally comprises a plurality of communication panels, each of which comprises several patch panels, preferably structurally connected to form vertical structures, a plurality of patch cords, which carry information (e.g., data, audio, TV signals, etc.), being connected to each patch panel. The communication panels allow flexibility in routing information from signals sources to different final users.
Large cabling systems, which could include thousands of patch cords that are connected to several dozen patch panels, cause several problems that are related to the management of such cabling systems. The two most common problems will now be pointed out:
There are no means for readily and quickly identifying ports to/from which patch cords are to be connected/disconnected, or are connected to cords which are defective or damaged. For example, if there is a problematic connection in one of the patch panels, a technician would have to visually inspect many patch panels in many communication panels. Such a visual inspection is laborious and time consuming, even if a technician uses a scanning system, such as the scanning systems referenced above, which is designed to activate visual connectivity status indicators per port. Therefore, it is a purpose of this invention to provide means for directing the technician to the communication panel of interest, and, thereby, keeping the technician from wasting inspection time on non-relevant communication panels.
Large cabling systems pose another major problem, which is non-optimal lengths of patch cords that are often utilized in them. In conventional cabling management systems there is no information relating to the physical location of the ports. Therefore, whenever a technician has to perform changes in the connectivity status of a cabling system, the technician usually takes with him several patch cords of different lengths, and chooses the “right” patch cord according to the distance between the relevant two ports which are to be interconnected. In a different situation, if one end of a patch cord is to be connected to a different port, the technician might find that the port, to which this end is to be connected, is too distant, and the patch cord is too short. Accordingly, the technician has, again, to choose a patch cord of the “right” length. In any case, the technician has to choose patch cords based on his intuition, and, therefore, such selection of patch cords may not be optimal. The non-optimal selection of patch cords has two consequences:                a. Technicians tend to take several patch cords of different lengths, and choose, eventually, patch cords that are a bit longer than required. As a result of this, managing the inventory is inefficient, money is wasted due to using patch cords that are longer than required, the technician has to carry with him unnecessary patch cords, and the whole process of handling the patch cords is time consuming, In addition, extra length of patch cords has to be arranged back and forth, and is space-consuming, which could leave smaller space for other patch cords.        b. The larger the bandwidth of a signal is, the more sensitive is the signal to the length of the cord in which the signal passes, because high frequency signals, or high frequency components thereof, tend to deteriorate as the cord gets longer. Accordingly, link performance may not be optimal because patch cords are currently chosen by a technician based on his intuition, rather than being chosen based on real electrical performance of the link, which should comply with the electrical characteristics of the signal passing through the link.        
Therefore, it is another purpose of the invention to provide a method for determining the right type and length of patch cords prior to performing the connectivity changes by a technician.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method for saving a technician inspection time whenever there is a need to change the connectivity status of a large scale cabling system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for automatically offering to technician patch cords of the right type and length prior to performing connectivity status changes.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for automatically checking, after the connection of the patch cord, if said patch cord is of the right type and length.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a method for indicating to an operator, prior to connection of a patch cord, the available ports that would comply with the electrical characteristics of the electrical signal intended to pass through the port, or, alternatively, for indicating to the person, after connection of a patch cord, whether the connection complies, or not, with the electrical characteristics of the signal.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.